But, NBA legend Kenny Natt, the head coach of the Indian team, believes otherwise. “Basketball in India is going to explode. In some time, India will have an NBA star. I can’t say how much time it will take. But, I can say that. You never know when a player rises and enters NBA. Height may not matter, anyone can be that star. Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant have never thought that one day they will be stars. So, you never know when that will happen,” Natt told The Pioneer.
It has been eight months since Natt took charge of the Indian team and the former coach of NBA outfit Sacramento Kings said that his experience so far has been great. “I took the charge of the team eight months back. It provided great opportunity to be around basketball and I love teaching. Experience has been great. I am teaching the game I love most. The prospects of coaching basketball in India excited me to take up the job. As coach, I have shared a good relationship with players and administration as well,” he said.
India may lack the professional system and infrastructure of the US, but Natt insisted that there is no difference between coaching a team like India and a team back home. “It is neither difficult nor any different. I was doing the same job back home. I like teaching kids the game of basketball. Indian youth are always eager to learn,” he said.
The Indian national team is ranked a lowly 58th in the world, but the coach thinks that the team has a lot of potential and it is just a matter of time before they start performing well. “I have got good response from players. The problem is that here the fundamentals are not properly learned. They have improved immensely since I took over and have shown a lot of promise. I am more impressed with the younger teams that are coming up. But, success never comes easy. It is not that it will happen overnight. In India, everyone wants instant success and that ‘s not the way things work,” he said.
Fitness has been a perennial problem for the Indian team and the guru admits it. “Yes, fitness is a serious issue to deal with. For that reason, we have got famous physio trainer Jacques Phenwill and he is doing great work. Fitness level needs to improve,” he said.
So, what is his recipe to change things around for the hoopsters in India? “I believe in right training. Focus on youth. No limitation on guys. There should be proper planning and a positive vision. Basketball should be handled in a professional and organised manner. India has a great prospect. NBA has taken note of this and a couple of programmes are currently going on. The day I see basketball dribbles down on the sidewalks, I will believe that day that India has come a long way to be a top basketball playing nation,” he added.
He also pointed out a couple of issues that should be taken care of in order to ensure the development of the game in the country.
“I recently witnessed the problem of over-aged players playing in a lower-age bracket. It is not fair on younger players. That is not fair competition. You can’t cheat like that. Second one is the issue of nationalisation. Foreign players can’t play over here. Authorities here are strict about this while many other countries are lenient in this regard. Actually, the competition gets tougher and you can learn what others do. So, I hope with a couple of system overhauls, India can produce a lot of hoopsters,” he said.
He also picked out three young players for special praise. “I believe Satnam Singh, Amitpal Singh and Amjyot Singh of the national team have great prospects and I believe they can take India forward along with other players,” he signed off.
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